Comparing upgrades: i9 10900k vs i9 9900k vs i9 10900kf – Is it worth it?
Comparing upgrades: i9 10900k vs i9 9900k vs i9 10900kf – Is it worth it?
I was thinking about moving from the 8700K to the 9900K with Microcenter’s 9900K for $299. I wasn’t sure if my z370 board could support a solid overclock on the 9900K to really boost performance compared to the 8700K at 5GHz. Upgrades should be skipping generations, not just one step. My thoughts and how I try to avoid overspending.
The gallium in the LM may quickly damage aluminium, so avoid pairing it with aluminium cold plates. It can gradually tarnish copper without causing any issues, and it might slowly affect nickel-plated copper over time. This tarnishing doesn’t influence cooling performance. There is no chemical interaction between the gallium in the LM and the silicon on the CPU.
Alright, I made a purchase of Noctua NT-H2. I'm a bit nervous about working with liquid metal, but I've got some other plans in mind now. My CPU was overclocked to 5.0 GHz, and when I tried 5.1 it wouldn't boot up. So, I think the issue might be with the cooler—maybe the X68 model with three fans was the one that caused the problem.
Using LM could improve temperatures by around 5°C. That matches what I experienced, though it wasn’t sufficient for 5.1Ghz at comfortable levels. I managed to push my CPU up to 5.2Ghz (see my notes). Delidding and using direct die might add another ~10°C, but we’ll find out. I intend to record the process because a friend asked me to.